My thoughts on the 8 teams competing this weekend.
USC: As I’ve said from Day one, I’ve always believed in this USC team. The raw talent on this team is insane. This is the best path to the trophy they’ve had in the Pintaric era (you can argue 2021 as well). Robert Lopez Duart is one of the best pure shooters in the country. Vukazic is the best center defender in the country and the center duo of Krstic and Martin is fantastic. Krstic’s ability to draw exclusions off the ball is terrific. When this team’s attackers are clicking, I’m not sure UCLA can stop it. Two storylines to follow: Can Stefan Brankovic keep his cool? How much offensive production can they get from Evan Ausmus, who is this team’s weakest piece on offense. I expect Charlie Mills to play throughout the weekend for USC. With that being said, I can still see a world where Fordham’s shooters are lights out on Day 2 if they make it and Pinta subs in Herzer.
Concordia: A very impressive job done by Justin Johnson at Concordia. They are led by Greek attacker Dimitrios Koristas and Dutch attacker Hugo Wouters. The pair have combined for 136 goals and 79 assists. If they are able to retain both players, expect Concordia to be a program competing with the bottom quarter of the top 20 teams.
SJSU: Heading into this tournament, the Spartans feel like they should’ve been the 4 seed in this tournament and were robbed of a win against Fordham in California. However, that’s all thrown out the window now. The biggest advantage for SJSU is that they come into this matchup having played CBU 2x, Irvine, and Pepperdine in the last four weeks. All the talk about Brendan Gyapjas. If he can have another huge game and lead SJSU to the final four, there will be conversations about Gyapjas potentially being a Cutino Award finalist. I’ve said all season that this team will go as far as he takes them and this is by far their best chance to make it to the final four. Sam Keightley was one of the best freshman in the WCC, finishing with 53 goals and 43 drawn exclusions. He will be the player to key in on for Fordham, shooting at an impressive 58.9% clip. Sophomore Samu Biros has 55 goals, but on just 40 percent. Two storylines to follow: Can San Jose’s offense keep up with Fordham’s and will they be able to limit Fordham’s counter attack?
Fordham: On the other hand, Fordham has played Bucknell, Mercyhurst, Mt St Mary’s, Wagner 2x, Brown, and George Washington in the last four weeks. An uncompetitive schedule heading into NCAAs can hurt a team. However, they will be much more rested this time around, not coming off games against Stanford and Cal. Andras Toth and Eppel have both taken a jump in 2025. Toth has been one of the 10 best players in the country with 129 goals.. Eppel has one of the best centers in the country and his finishing is very improved. Lastly, Provenziani is one of the most dangerous players in the country on the counter. One of the biggest weaknesses for Fordham has been goalie player. The Malta goalie has not panned out as well as they would’ve hoped. It will be interesting to see if they try and bring in a goalie for 2026. The key for Fordham will be to limit exclusions and funnel shots into their goalie. If DuPuis can get a few saves early on, it will help his confidence tremendously. Two storylines to follow: Can Fordham limit their exclusions, especially off ball and play disciplined team defense? Secondly, how can they adjust to Gyapjas in the second game.
UCLA: Many expected UClA to be playing at noon today. Instead, they face former Bruin assistant Dusty Litvak in a quarterfinal matchup. Despite this, UCLA will be confident heading into the tournament. Ryder Dodd is the best player in the country. If he’s on, it is hard to compete with UCLA. UCLA also has the best 4/5 side in the country with C. Dodd, Bode Brinkema, Ben Leichty, and Wade Sherlock. With all the talk about Stanford and USC’s center, UCLA is the only team in the country with three elite centers in Peter Castillo, Scezi, and Eli Leichty. This is a luxury that most people gloss over. Two storylines to follow: After Ryder, there is a big drop of to Bode who is the second leading scorer. Who is going to step up for them this tournament outside of Ryder? How will Nate Tauscher play? He didn’t have his best game in the MPSF final. He will need a good start to Game 1 to get his confidence back up.
Princeton: Back in the NCAA tournament for the 5th year in a row under Dusty Litvak. Princeton is led by Logan McCarroll, who has 56 goals and 64 drawn exclusions. They’ve gotten great production from American freshman Taylor Bell and Otto Stothart. They have a lot talent on the team for a 7 seed with Finn LeSieur and US U20 player Gavin Appeldorn and Kovacs in goal, who is one of the best goalies in the country. Two keys for them: What is the gameplan to limit Ryder Dodd and are they able to jump out to a fast start?
Stanford: After going 3-0 against Cal, the Card is back in the NCAA. Led by Temkin in goal with the trio of G.P, Balogh, and Gheorghe, this is a dangerous group. Temkin has had a terrific year. Gheorghe has been the best center in the country and forced teams to play a lot of zone, opening up shooting lanes for Balogjh, G.P., and Forer, who has been excellent offensively this year. Ryan Ohl is on the 4/5 side as one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, but will need to step up offensively as opposing defenses are looking for him to get the shot compared to the 3 I just mentioned. Stanford runs a very thin rotation, with just 10 players seeing significant minutes. Without a lefty in the rotation, it opens up the possibility for teams to trap on the 4/5 side, but Flacks has countered this well. Originally expected to get Spain U20 LHA Albert Sabadell, I have heard this is no longer the case. Flacks needs to bring in a LHA and center defender via the portal. Two storylines to follow: How will this thin rotation fair in the fourth quarter, a quarter that has hurt them during the season and can they limit their exclusions and get offensive output from the non traditional guys,
Davis: Credit to Davis for making it to this tournament. Dan Leyson has done a terrific job at Davis and he deserves all the credit in the world. This team has talent, but probably less talent than any D1 team playing this weekend. However, they play the right way, they play for each other, and it’s exciting to watch. Thomas Kiesling has 63 goals for Davis and is a player to key in on for opposing defenses. Oleg Shatskikh and Oriol Viñas are both big contributors as well. Viñas typically sprints for them and has 22 goals and 35 assists. Two storylines to follow: How well can they move in and out of their zones, defending Gheorghe in the middle and closing out the dangerous shooters on Stanford. After backing up Mills in the U20 World Championships, Baxter Chelsom has had an inconsistent season. However, if he’s able to deliver a big performance tonight, this game will be a lot closer than people expect.
Excited for an amazing weekend of waterpolo.
